Public Statements

Issue Position: Education

Issue Position

To enjoy long-term prosperity and security we must provide world-class schools for all our young people.

If you have heard me speak, you have likely heard me say: "if China and India educate only 10% of their children well, they will educate more kids well than we have kids to educate!" We cannot expect to compete in the 21st Century global economy if we don't offer every young person in our country the best opportunities to learn and develop to their fullest potential. We cannot expect to compete in the 21st Century global economy if we fail to invest in education to ensure we always have the best educated, most motivated, most innovative, most productive workforce in the world.

Great education starts with teachers. We owe it to our children to stop vilifying teachers and instead help them lead us to a prosperous and secure future. We owe it to our children, and to ourselves, to fill all of our schools with fully qualified and fairly compensated teachers. And we must strive to give all our teachers the best technologies, with the best available tools and resources.

As a member of Congress, I will work to push forward four key education goals:

Have more students graduating high school. We must reduce the percentage of students who drop out of high school before graduation.

Better prepared for a 21st Century world. We must increase the percentage of students who graduate high school prepared to enter the world and achieve a lifetime of success.

With the skills and tools to succeed in college. We must increase the percentage of students graduating high school prepared to succeed in college curricula, including math and sciences, as well as the liberal arts.

And the resources and support to complete their degrees. We must increase the number of students completing undergraduate degrees, particularly students of color, and from economically challenged communities.

I believe we can make immediate progress on all four goals byEnding the unfair and unproductive attacks on teachers, and instead recognizing that they are the key to securing our national future through teaching and inspiring our greatest national treasure our children.

Increasing our investment in early learning programs.

Helping states transform their most challenged schools to ensure every child has access to quality education.

Developing shared educational standards that help ensure we provide all young people the lessons, skills and tools to succeed in a in an increasingly competitive and interconnected global economy.

Identifying and developing effective measures of learning and academic performance to create high, and realistic, expectations and accountability for educating our children.

Expanding programs, like "Race to the Top," that allow states to opt in and compete for federal investment in innovative, transformative educational ideas.

Refining "No Child Left Behind" to retain those aspects that are helpful and address the issues that create confusion or unnecessary burden.